Iwaku SHATTERED - Redux

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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[size=+5]CHAPTER TWO[/size]
[size=+3]THE FLIGHT[/size]
[size=+1]"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with.

Some men just want to watch the world burn."[/size]
[size=+2]- The Dark Knight[/size]

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[size=+1]The populace of Rift Town does not realise something is wrong until it is much too late.

People hear the engines first, a rare sound in this day and age. From the sky the metallic-humming comes, and those with more acute hearing take notice. A few Shapeshifter Tribesmens' ears perk up and they look to the skies, searching for the source. A young child begins to wail, the alien sound reaching his ears and terrifying him.

He is right to be so afraid.

The guards don't notice them until they're almost over the town. By the time they do, it's too late to get the defence-guns into position. It's too late for just about any form of resistance. Not that they don't try; when the fate that is about to befall Rift Town dawns upon it's defenders they rush to take up arms. Ultimately, though, it's a futile effort. It is not a battle. To call it a battle would imply the town has a chance.

They burn the docks first. Cut off any chance of escape. Brutal. Efficient. The airships docked in Rift Town go up in flames, the gases that keep them aloft adding to the chaos as they ignite and burst into vast explosions that light up the afternoon sky. Smoke begins to fill the air, thick and acrid. Choking. People die from the fires, from the explosions, from the smoke.

They're the lucky ones.

Now you can see their ships through the haze of destruction; vast, ugly monstrosities of rusting steel armoured against threats, their ancient engines spewing smog down into the streets. Their guns lay down hellfire upon the town, killing and destroying indiscriminately. In the carnage the town begins it's death-throes, the populace desperately seeking a means of escape.

And then the first of them come down.

The roof of The Runaway is torn open by one of their landing crafts, debris and ruins scattering down upon the brawling patrons. Several die instantly, or else remain trapped under the wreckage until they finally expire, hours or even days later. Karsikan's armour protects him from the brunt of this unexpected assault, though only just, and Cyanide is fortunate enough to be on the opposite side of the building, getting to cover in time. Those who survive pull themselves to their feet, brush off the dust and shrapnel...

...just in time for their entrance.

Their forms are genderless, figures hidden beneath layers of armour and padding, their faces hidden under gas-masks. They wield everything from automatic weaponry to old shovels and kitchen blades grafted to their hands, falling upon the patrons with unmatched ferocity. Most of the survivors are dead within seconds, torn apart by their attackers. Many more are dragged off, hauled out of the broken doors and into the burning streets.

Some manage to fight back, though.

The barman of The Runaway snatches up his shotgun and unloads it into the nearest gas-masked assailant, roaring abuse all the while. The remaining Shapeshifter bouncers battle their way out of the ruined bar, their ferocity almost matching that of their attackers.

And all the while, underneath their masks, the mysterious attackers are laughing.

They laugh as they tear the patrons of the bar to pieces. They laugh as they impale a few unfortunates on the broken support beams, standing back to watch their victims slowly choke to death on their own blood. They laugh as they steal people away to taken back up to the ships floating above the dying Rift Town. Even the one shot by the barman wheezes out a feeble chuckle before breathing it's last.

All across Rift Town, they are laughing as they slaughter and kidnap the populace. In the marketplace Sakura, XC and Orion's meeting is cut short by the appearance of one of their airships overhead, dozens of them streaming down to attack and destroy. Marvin, Jake and Spears watch two of their attack vessels come crashing into the nearby slums, leaving wide paths of chaos and rubble in their wake.

The Collectors have arrived.

Rift Town comes under a surprise attack by the Collectors. The docks are destroyed, and the gas-masked attackers have taken to the streets in large numbers, slaughtering or kidnapping all in their path.
[/size]


[size=+1]The Collectors.

I've travelled across a lot of this broken world and wherever I've gone, any time I've heard that term uttered it's been followed by shudders from all present.

And who can blame them? These... things are the fucking bogeymen of this land.

Let's put it this way. Bandits are scum. They are parasites and hyenas, preying upon those less fortunate than they are. But you can communicate with a bandit. You can reason with them. There's always the chance that when one of them's coming at you he'll listen when you ask for mercy.

Not so with the Collectors.

Whatever the fuck are underneath those masks are not capable of pity, of reason or remorse. You can't talk to them, you can't bribe or negotiate with them. To a Collector, every single fucking one of us are victims. It just depends on which type.

The first kind of victims are the ones they kill. They don't do it quickly, either; disembowelling, crucifixion, impaling. Mercy isn't something they understand, so when they descend upon a settlement you're in you best be ready to run like fuck or fight and give no mercy, because you sure as hell will be receiving none.

The second kind of victims are the ones from which the Collectors get their name. The ones they take and drag back to their metal airships for the Cycle alone knows what purpose. Now you might be thinking that this sounds like the better of the two. I mean, yeah sure, they don't brutally kill you. But think about everything you know about these guys. The masks. The killing. The complete lack of goddamn mercy. Do they really sound like the guys you want dragging you off to some place for whatever unpleasant purpose they have in mind?

No, didn't think so.

Now here they are in Rift Town, more of them than I've ever seen in one place. They're going to tear this place apart. The port will burn, and anyone who doesn't escape before is going to either die horribly or be collected.

But enough of that; I've got to get my act together before I get myself killed.

Snapping myself back to my senses, I take in the chaos unravelling around me. Acrid smoke lingers all around, the smell of burning buildings and cooked flesh. And blood. You can almost taste the shit in the very air itself, the stink of death. Already they're slaughtering the people of this town.

My time has just been cut even more short than I thought it would be. I need to find those mechanics; they'll have the tools and skills I need for what I'm about to attempt. I take off at a sprint, making for the Auto Repair Shop the old man told me about and hoping against hope that the old bastard's still okay, and that the Collectors haven't already reached my destination.

And you know what the worst part of all this is?

I think it's my fault they've come to this place.

I think they're here for me.

Aeolus has been anticipating something occurring, but nothing like a full-scale Collector attack. She makes for the Auto Repair Shop, hoping to find the owners before the Collectors reach them.
[/size]
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

There was a crash and a wave of dust filled the room. Some maniac has brought a bomb to a barfight? For fucks sake rift town was nastier than even than the pit... Still gift horses and mouths. Raziel drew his pistol and drought the wooden handle slamming into the girl's temple, the only weapon he had the maneuverability to draw quickly when on his back, still it make an effective club.

he pushed her off of him and rolled onto his feet. "Sorry but I just wanted to get out of here.. no hard feelings."

Coughing from the dust he wrenched open the door and stepped into the open. Fuck it had gotten dark so many clouds... wait... was that smoke? Screams form the bar reached his ears, and it wasn't the only place they were coming from. Explosions from the docks echoes over the city and the biggest airship he had ever seen here disgorging craft like steel rain over the city. He could only stare in shock.

Run, run like hell this isn't your fight these are not your people. Save yourself.

His inner voice driven by sudden fear was right, now was not the time for a fight it was a time to be smart... but... he turned back looking into the room, then at the figures of the doc and the stranger.

"Fuck me. I'm going to regret this."

He dashed back into the back room of the bar and grabbed the girl by the wrist pulling her up and throwing her over his shoulder before heading back out into the sunlight yellowed by the smoke to catch up with the others.

"Run!"

He proverbially didn't need to tell them, but saying something was better than nothing.

Raz knocks Chanter off of himself and makes for the door promptly shitting a brick and cursing his own actions goes back to carry Chanter from the doomed bar telling Doc and Aqua to leg it as he catches up.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

From behind a chunk of the bar's walls Cyanide frowned. This was not good. Not Collectors, not here. He had never been this close to a group of them before, but he had heard the stories. Mass murder, no real survivors, it was brutal what these things left in their wake. He had to get out of town, and fast too.

His office. Damned it all... His entire life's work was on the other side of town, he couldn't leave it behind. All of that knowledge, everything he could muster together in the time span from the Shattering, he had to retrieve it before he left. But how to get through the Collectors...

Slapping his palm accross his face he cursed himself again. It was so simple. Peering over the wall he got a good look at one of them and began the shifting proccess. His body morphing, his clothing molding to fit the description of the dreaded Collector over the wall. When the proccess was finished he stood. He held an axe, jagged teeth on the blade and a spike on the opposite end. Draped over his back was a handheld flame thrower. He laughed, though it was an odd laugh, didn't quite sound or feel right to him. The gasmask made it a little warm, not to mention all the black. How do they work in this?

Looking down at his feet he noticed two things. A unopened Double Bubble gum, and a thimble. Reaching down he picked them up and looked at them, before discarding them back in the rubble of the wall. Now to take the part. He needed to get to the other side of town, and not attract the attention of the other collectors and blow his cover. So he tucked the axe back in a slot he noted upon his hip, and brought forth the flamethrower. Pulling the trigger he watched the blast of fire extend forth from the nozzle. He turned and started down the street, he would have to pass through the center of town to get where he needed to go, so thats where he headed. He saw another Collector down the street and it turned to look his way. So he stepped into a barely standing doorway and acted through the motions of hacking a civilian to pieces. When it passed he contnued down the street, occassionally lighing a signpost or a wall on fire.

Cyanide, none too hapy witht eh arrival of the death bringing Collectors, opts to ditch town, but to get past the fiends, he becomes one of them.
 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

He didn't get an answer. What he got was a crossbow bolt through his wing. "AAGH!" he fell to the ground, now completely human, mostly. Grunting in pain he pushed off his injured arm to see the bolt penetrating through his jacket and arm just above the elbow. Pushing himself onto his knee, he looked up and forgot about the pain in his arm. It was those Collector freaks. Fuuuuuuucccccckkkk there was a lot. The option to sit there and think about the best direction to run in was taken from him by the flight instinct that his body knew had more chance to save his life at this time, and so, he ran into the city.

The smell of smoke was in the air, people were screaming, Collectors were wheezing laughter through their masks. Effort ran long enough to start getting his mind under control. The pain he felt caused him to get angry and he zipped up his jacket and stuffed his left hand into his pocket so it wouldn't flop around as he ran. Ahead of him was a Collector, his arm swelled up and the jacket melded with his skin forming into the arm of a bear, complete with claws. The Collector saw him and raised his, uh it's or whatever, arm to fire it's gun. Effort exerted himself and launched forward. Half the Collectors face ripped off as it was knocked aside and Effort landed where it once stood, he continued running.

The old machine at the center of town came into sight. He had killed what Collectors he could, But there are so many people that are going to be killed...children.... He tried to not let the tears blind him as he continued running and didn't notice Aeolus with her lute nearing by.

Effort gets struck by a crossbow bolt while in the form of an eagle. Falls to the ground and runs deep into the city, killing a couple Collectors along the way. Sheds tears for the doomed children, doesn't notice Aeolus close by.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED


More than she bargained for by a long shot, the world suddenly seems to be burning up upon itself. Her curiosity about the group is gone and she doesn't spare them a single look. The building is torn and in flames with humanoids in masks streaming through like violent swarms of insects. Caring about strangers never was Na'ava's strong suit and now she's pushing past the people she'd been following and out the door to emerge onto the street.

It's not just the bar, it looks like everything is burning. Her panicked glances are not as traumatized as they might be if say it was water, but it's damn close with all the psychos wandering amongst the flames. Her human side is plenty susceptible to being burnt alive. She paused just long enough to slide her gauntlets onto her hands and put her rucksack back on. The clear path from here leads toward the center of the city, which doesn't seem too wise but it'll have to do. As she darted down the path, some of the psychos ambush her, wielding arm grafted pitchforks and a crude spike.

Shooting a glance to her escape routes, Na'ava pulled her sword from its hilt. "Get back now, you hear me? Leave me alone." Her words fall on deaf ears and still they advance. To the one closest to her, she struck with the sword, tapping into her reservoir of demonic energy while doing so. She came into contact, through the padding,with what must have been his skin. The thing laughed and Na'ava backed away from it. The edges of its padding were singed, the fire had clearly done its work... and yet the thing was laughing. It laughed as it fell to its knees, still swiping at her with the pitchfork for an arm. Na'ava took advantage of its kneeling position to attempt to behead it but she only got perhaps part way through the process before the other, unintimidated, tried to rush her.

Na'ava leapt back, brandishing her sword at him as she watched one of his peers topple over lifeless. It was no use, they felt no fear and she could hear still more coming at her. At least, she thought, they could no longer block the path. At least for now, that was, but now was all that mattered. Running, the heat from the fires scorching her throat, she made her way to the center of the town.​
​

Abandoning the others, Na'ava hits the streets and is accosted by two Collectors. She kills one of them and is disturbed by their lack of humanity. She flees instead to the town center.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Everyone wants to be special.

Surrounded by strictly individualistic people, Doctor Surgeon was almost overjoyed in his sheer difference from everyone else. Full suite, mask, stylish hat, gloves? He was the anathema. Sometimes it paid to stand out. Most doctors these days used jury-rigged neon signs or white coats and red crosses. The lot of them were charlatans, fools. Why wear a white coat? Most of the medical work involved blood and vast amounts of viscera. If they relied on the red cross to herald their profession, what happened when everything else was bloody as well? Well, certainly they washed it, but in those vital moments of cleanliness, a man could die...a man that could have paid with money in order to not die.

Truly a pointless loss.

That's why Doctor Surgeon wore black. Black did not stain as easily, cut an imposing path through the earthy colors of the usual villager, and made him all but invisible when the sun had set...except for his mask, which was white. Of course he considered painting the mask, but if there was a man wounded in the night, how would he know Doctor Surgeon was there if he did not see the floating face? Certainly some had remarked it was creepy, even frightening.

Personally Doctor Surgeon had no idea why.

Didn't people like birds?

But now...now his uniqueness had been taken from him, ripped cruelly from his hands by an army of copycats. The Collectors poured from their ships waving an array of weaponry and braying cackling laughter. Each one of them in black with a mask.

EACH ONE OF THEM.

Doctor Surgeon felt his identity slipping away, the fabric of his life cheapened a hundred times over by each wailing ghoul. as Na'va tore out her sword and attacked one of them, as the stranger with an unhealthy painkiller addiction, gripping the stitched girl, tore by him...Doctor Surgeon only stared. He was crushed, humiliated, his professional veneer tarnished by mask wearing barbarians! How dare they! Ordinarily someone would have the decency to send him a letter, a personal warning perhaps. He had no time to prepare an alternate uniform.

Wait.

Wait...a moment.

A voice modulated scream tore from Doctor Surgeon's mask as he put both hands against it and shook his head. It was horrifying, it was terrible, it was far too much for him to deal with.

He knew why they were here.

He knew why they had come.

They were here for him.

These people....were his misguided worshipers.

Doctor Surgeon had long known the day would come when some small shanty mistook his medical prowess for god-like abilities. Not that he dissuaded them, dissuading would require talking to them and Doctor Surgeon was a firm believer in an impartial medical physician. How could he provide unbiased care if he learned to like them? No, he must have left one confused shanty after another in awe of his powerful Surgical and doctoral skills. Now the fools had mistook medicine for needless butchery! No no no! You don't amputate the head! You wrap it and hope for the best! The fools! They weren't even taking time to evaluate the condition of the patient before performing open surgery!

Amateurs.

Although he was flattered by their willingness to try, evidently they needed better instruction.

Doctor Surgeon would have provided it to them...absolutely, irrefutably.

Of course that would require he talk to them.

And he simply could not commit to that kind of social responsibility.

Instead he opted for a different method. The stranger and Na'va had shown themselves to be exemplary warriors. Certainly their fear of an untrained physician was something to be admired. That said, Doctor Surgeon fully endorsed the wholesale murder of the masked lot. After all, the more that died the less he had to teach proper medical terminology and bedside mannerism. Bending down to wrestle off one of the gas masks, Doctor Surgeon turned his own mask around backward and set the new one on where his head should be. Show those clowns what it feels like to have their style stolen without expressed permission. He must have looked a strange sight, but he felt he should at least be encouraging to the poor creatures. Their hearts were in the right place...but evidently their minds were set beyond his powers of assistance.

He fell in behind Na'va and Picture girl, making a note to remark on her strange ability to sing healing at a later date. Perhaps all picture people possessed this power...perhaps he should think about destroying all pictures. After all, the less healers alive, the more Doctor Surgeon could make money...and money was apparently very important.

For some reason.

He moved toward the center of town, nimbly avoiding the Collectors, inverting his index fingers into frowns whenever he had a chance to look at one directly. Judging by their own lack of facial features, he could only assume they and they alone understood his need to create expressions with his fingers. Regrettably, none of them returned the gesture.

Cold bastards.

No bedside manner at all.



Summary: Doctor Surgeon heads toward the center of town. He turned his mask around backwards and is wearing a Collector's mask now.
 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Chlidren of the Night - Dream Evil

The chair found itself on a collision course with it's sender in the blink of an eye, an annoyed look on Karsikan's face. He'd take care of the necromancer in due time, but first the minions, each was crushed in turn by a powerful ceramite gauntlet. Now it was time to get to through the bar, the back alley offered a quicker route to his residence and he'd pretty much given up on getting any source of nourishment from The Runaway the moment he walked in.

Ceramite hands tossed brawling shifters, noobs and trolls alike as he made his way slowly but surely across the bar turned arena. He reached his goal after eight bodies or so had been moved from his path, he paused a moment, grabbed one of the few unbroken handles of liquor from the shelf behind the bar and walked outside, popping the lid off with his teeth and drinking from it casually while walking outside.

"Hmm...Black licorice flavor....interesting"

He took a moment to look at the bottle as he walked out and resumed drinking, he met a collection of interesting individuals before the ripples hit him, nothing anyone could perceive that didn't have a mind like his, this was something in the warp. something that meant danger in the worst possible way. An evil that could only be surpassed by the foulest servants of chaos, or the daemons themselves. Then he could hear it, but by then he was already gone, the thought to injure one to slow them down crossed his mind but it would have taken too much time, something he didn't have enough of. He was halfway to the Auto Shop when they started to hit the ground, and he was at a full run. Sheer mass allowed him to bowl his way through the cluster of them as he ducked into another alley, crimson cloak disappearing behind the wall as they regained their senses. A few moment's later he was at the auto shop, he spotted two others running towards him; a shorter female with white tattoos showing beneath her cloak, the other, male, likely a shapeshifter, and injured. Another warp ripple hit him, something about the girl, he didn't have the time to look into it too closely, one of the savages was closing in on them.

KA-CHUNK

The savage behind them was bolted securely to a nearby wall The Impaler in his hands in the instant of a blink when they had closed their eyes, and the smell finally registered in his mind. It didn't bother him, not like it did to them, but it made these raiders seem more daemonic in his eyes....a theory for another time perhaps, now he had to concentrate on keeping people safe from harm.


He looked momentarily, the bottle was still in his hand.

Summary: GMK exits bar, shit hits fan, GMK finds Aeolus and Effort, GMK doesn't drop his booze.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[DASH=blue]
She didn't get that pear. Hell, she barely got out alive. Everything was far to frantic for her, so she decided her easiest option was to brutally stab them all in the shins with her poison blade, Peak, and be done with it. But what kind of person would run through a bar killing people? That's not going to get you anywhere in Rift Town except under the sights of more enemies. Liana swore at the bartender, not caring about her vision in the least; it would slowly return. For the time being she had to get the hell out of there. Where she would do, she had the slightest idea but seeing as though the brawl was towards the front, the back was cleared. Stumbling over more broken bottles and some unknown liquid on the ground that she hoped was cranberry juice and stumbled into the back room. Not before nearly breaking her neck tripping over a box of oranges.

"Damn this place to hell!"she snapped at the box. The insanity toxic of Rift Town was getting to her if she started cursing at inanimate objects. Liana bent down and snatched a lone orange, stashing it down in her dress to later release her wrath on and still went straight for the back door. Once opened, the moggy atmosphere of Rift Town ransacked her face again, and oddly, it restored most of her vision. She thanked whoever the high and mighty person she should be thanking and rubbed her eyes, only to see a walking bird man. The alcoholic effects cause the pupils severe damage, clearly. However, the walking bird, along with a group of other people were running at a fast enough pace to let Liana that they just departed from the current hell hole she crawled out of.

Liana wiped her blooded hands on her dress, regretted it as soon as the pain hit, but shook it off and sprinted after the group. This gave her enough time to asses the damages and victory winnings. One, she didn't get a pear but it was still a fruit, so the orange is good. Secondly, she maimed her palms, burned her eyes, and bruised her shin in less than five seconds. Iwaku was starting to piss her off. Was it trying to say something? Should Liana just keep to herself? One should not ponder over the unknown for they will surely dive into their own insanity. But there was no way she was going back into that fiasco. Plan B, follow the bird man.​
[/DASH]

Liana almost tripped over a box of oranges escaping from the bar. Not having her vision fully returned, spots "the bird man" and the others and decides to trail along at a distance, left with practically no other option.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[DASH=white]Raymond was fighting a losing battle.

His lungs burned and eyes stung due to the thick smoke that covered the alley in a haze. In his right hand was his pistol. The left was manipulating an elemental shield of electricity. To his front stood three collectors armed with a wild variety of melee weapons and apparently a sadistic sense of humor. If they had been one of the gun toting or flamer wielding Collectors he most likely would've already been toast. Every time one would lunge forward he would throw up the shield to shock the Collector. But he was tiring fast, and they continued to advance, the shield not doing enough damage to kill them. Backpedaling as quickly down the alley as he dared he was attempting to cover the retreat of several civilians. Raymond chanced a glance to see if they had already fled. This was the opening that the Collectors were waiting for, in unison they lunged forward as one…

When the Collectors had arrived, his first instinct had been to flee. It was either flight or fight, and one could not stand up and expect to win the war against them. Raymond did not even consider the docks, the heat from the fires and the huge plumes of jet black smoke that towered over them confirmed that escape from there was impossible. His only choice was to escape overland, or hide. Yet his second instinct kicked in. That stupid sense of duty to protect…

Rift Town was a hell hole in the best of times. Yet, not everyone was bad. Some folks were just trying to survive from day to day, take care of their families. Right now with the Collectors the odds were stacked against them. This was the time that his stupid sense of duty had to kick in over reason. Why he now found himself in an impossible position.

Raymond shielded his face with an arm as the flames engulfed the entire alleyway. A two story ramshackle home that had been wreathed in flame had given in to the inferno. Fire and debris crashed into the alleyway, and into the three Collectors that had been ready to rip him asunder.

He didn't question his good fortune.

Dropping the shield he whirled around, stumbling over his own feet before catching himself. The constant use of his shield had drained him mentally. Squinting as his eyes watered from the smoke he pushed forward through the debris and body strewn alleyway. A short while later another Collector appeared like an apparition through the smoke. An archaic machinegun strapped to its right arm. Raymond wasted no time and brought his pistol up, expelling four shots. The first two went wild and struck the walls past the Collector. The third and forth found their mark, burying themselves in the chest and neck of the Collector respectfully. Raymond sped up and shoved his way past the dying Collector and broke out into the open.

He had reached the marketplace.

The scene was chaos. Market stalls were either destroyed or ablaze. Bodies and gore were scattered about. Dozens upon dozens of people were still alive in the space, groups of Collectors and lone ones attacking and terrorizing the survivors. Through the chaos Raymond noticed a couple things that stood out from the chaos. Amid the panicked people there was a girl in brightly optimistic clothing, accompanied by a giant panda bear; and standing above the chaos stood the derelict wrecked airship, as if taunting the people below with its inability to fly.

Raymond also noticed something else.

The marketplace was being packed with more people. With a sickening feeling he realized why. The docks were an inferno. By now the Collectors would've blocked all landside escape. The bottom fell out of his stomach as he worked his way closer to the girl and the giant bulk of a panda bear. The people were being herded by the Collectors, herded toward the center of Rift Town as the town was slowly razed from the outside in.

They were trapped.
[/DASH]
Raymond attempts to protect some townsfolk from the Collectors. Kills one and finds himself in the center of town. He spots Sakura and XC amid the chaos and decides to work his way towards them. Raymond comes to the conclusion that the people in Rift Town are being herded into the center of town by the Collectors for slaughter.
 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

The Atlantics - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

For a moment the Surfer's expression turned into one of confusion as the girl mistranslated his words. How could anyone not know what a dude and a dudette were? More importantly. . . how did Orion even know? No memories existed in his head of where all the surfer lingo had been learned. Everything was just there all by itself since the moment he had woken up with a sore body on that airship. Thoughts like these were dangerous for him to longer on for too long. Mellowness came in danger of getting breached and turning into a very un-mellow state of mind. Allowing that to happen was utterly unthinkable for the Surfing Stranger.

"Well it's nice to meet ya Sakura, I'm Orion. Don't be a kook though Sakura! Haha! Panda dude's name isn't dude. He's just a dude that's also a-"

Unfortunately Orion's explanation of his inexplicable native tongue was put on hold when all of Rift Town came under attack! For him it might as well have been an alien invasion. He had no idea who these guys were at all. Memories on this planet only went back as far as a week for the memory-impaired Surfer. But what he saw come streaming down from that enemy airship would certainly never be forgotten. Gas masks never made the right first impression unless the intention was to creep the hell out of someone. Little did Orion understand just how bad the situation truly was until people around them started getting killed indiscriminately.

If bad vibes had a face, these collector guys certainly fit the bill.

Refusing to lose his newest acquaintances, Orion wasted absolutely no time in revealing his secret weapon. Spinning around on his fingertips, the surfboard keychain looked innocent enough as a half a dozen collectors closed in on the three. Not that it was actually hidden from sight or anything. Tossed up into the air at what seemed like the drop of a hat, it came down sporting a handle on the back end, which had not been noticed earlier. Perhaps surprise weapon was a much more accurate description. For a second or two it even seemed like the laughter of the Collectors grew louder at the sight of his chosen weapon, readying their own various implements for battle.

Until the Surfer blurred with inhuman speed.

Then the laughter stopped.

Cosmic energy surged through what could be called his veins, granting a temporary burst which left the six Collectors both confused and cleaved in two. No normal man could possess the strength to wield that surfboard in such a way. Even more obvious was the fact he did not hold an average surfboard in his hands. Having cleared some space after acting as a ripping reaper, Orion took Sakura by the hand while holding his surfboard in the other hand. Needless to say he recognized when it was time to bail and started to run. A nod to follow them was sent XC's way as well.

"C'mon lets blow this taco stand!"

Yet the Collectors would not give up so easily.

Up ahead their path was blocked by what remained of the dozens of Collectors who had dropped down from their airship. There was no way to get past them on foot. Where could they even run to right now? Orion was in an unfamiliar town with no knowledge of the layout other than what he'd seen so far. Fighting through them ALL would take too long and would leave them open to attack. Even if he did get lucky enough to pull that off. . . Orion would likely only end up fighting reinforcements or having his legs ripped off and used to sodomize him.

Whoa dude, where did THAT thought come from?

Raymond's arrival was completely lost on the Surfer as he tried to think up a way to get past this crowd without direct combat.

Then it hit him like a mondo wave.

"SURFS UP SAKURAAAAAA!!!!"

Orion quickly used his grip on the dudette that wasn't named Dodette to fling her up into piggyback ride position before using both hands to hurl his surfboard toward the incoming wave of Collectors blocking their path. Leaping right after throwing it, the Surfer must have been using all his lucky stars to actually pull of what he had planned and actually land on the surfboard as it struck the wave of collectors. Reality bending must have been involved in the surfboard's creation for what came next. Getting his footing and stance set correctly, the strange Surfer actually managed to surf across what seemed like a veritable sea made up of gas masks belonging to dozens of Collectors that had descended upon Rift Town straight toward the center of town.

Crowd surfing had just gotten EXTREME.






Summary:
Orion reacts to the incoming Collectors by grabbing Sakura and going CROWD SURFING. Thus also hopefully accidentally creating some means by which Raymond and XC can slip through in the confusion to also escape.

 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

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<table ALIGN="CENTER"]><tr><td width=175 align="center">Marvin</td><td width=184 align="center">Sergeant Spears</td><td width=198 align="center">Jake</td></tr></table>​

Something slammed into the shutters next to Cressen, almost putting a dent in them. It was a man in uniform, with a backpack and rifle - and a helmet which had fallen over his eyes. "SHIT! MOTHERFUCKER! FALL BACK! FALL THE FUCK BACK!! AAAGH!!" Marvin rolled along the shutters whilst clawing for the keypad and flipping out. Behind him, Jake was sprinting in from one alley and Aeolus from the other. They promptly collided with one another and stumbled to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the lanky soldier immediately dropped his rifle and started helping the girl up.

"PICK YOUR WEAPON UP, SOLDIER!" came a yell as a third man sprinted to the top of the hill. He was wielding an M-16 in one arm and spinning on his heels to fire off controlled bursts. The streets were blooming with explosions behind him and it painted him like some infernal creature.

"Come on, let's go." Jake cradled Aeolus's arm, with more care than a hardened soldier should, and helped her towards the Auto Shop where Marvin was still pounding at the shutters. Behind them Sergeant Spears spun in the smoke and braced his rifle for another burst. His back came to rest against smooth, polished ceremite. Karsikan was also in the smoke. They stood back to back. They glanced at one another.

"Grandmaster."

"Sergeant."

"Always a pleasure."

"You have a ride?"

"Ryker's ready." They began firing into the night.

Back at the shop, Marvin had stumbled into Cressen and was shaking him by the shoulders. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! GET THE FUCK OUT!!"

Jake arrived behind him and smacked his helmet with the butt of his rifle. Then he pushed Marvin aside and entered the keycode, giving an anxious smile to Cressen and Aeolus. "He gets claustrophobia." The shutters rolled up and he pulled Marvin inside, beckoning the others to follow. They found the Auto Shop dark except for one strip of lighting which the soldiers had turned on.

It illuminated a very welcome sight indeed.

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Marvin and Jake were running around the vehicle, slamming the hood down. "Tell me you fed Ryker! TELL ME YOU FED RYKER!"

"What?! I told you to gas her up!"

"WHAT?! You're the gas guy!"

"You're the tank guy!"

Marvin threw off his helmet. He was covered in sweat, grime and flecked blood. "OH SHIT! WE'RE DOOMED! THERE'S NO GAS IN THE HUMVEE! GAME OVER, MAN!" There was already thudding on the roof. The Collectors were being dropped by airship onto the shop.

"We'll make our own fuel." Spears came sprinting into the shop, jabbing his thumb at the 7 foot Grey Knight who was running alongside him. The Sergeant skidded to a halt next to Aeolus and Cressen. "Welcome to the ISAF," he told them, fixing each with his half-asleep eyes. "Get in the humvee."

Marvin had already climbed in the driver's seat, whilst Jake had taken the turret with the 50 cal. Spears threw open the back door and bundled in with Aeolus and Cressen, leaving Karsikan to stride to the rear of the vehicle.

"Sarge! Oh shit, Sarge!" cried Marvin as he gripped the wheel in terror. "We got no fuel!"

"Watch and learn, Private," Spears slid into the seat between Cressen and Aeolus, reloading his rifle. A moment passed then the humvee lurched forward, its rear-end almost lifting from the ground. Through the back window they could see Karsikan with his shoulder braced against the vehicle, pushing it across the shop floor.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" The humvee cleared the shutters and shot out across the parking lot, smashing other vehicles and Collectors aside. It plunged into the smoke with Karsikan running at full pace behind it.

Jake called from up in the turret. "Sarge! Street's blocked! Both ways!"

"Then go straight!"

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" The humvee hurtled across the street and plunged off the opposite hillside, Karsikan leaping up onto its roof as it left the ground. The vehicle flew through the air then crashed down onto the slopes, ploughing through the first row of wooden shacks that had been built below. Spears, Cressen and Aeolus were thrown around in the back but their grunts were drowned by Marvin's screaming. "WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?!"

"I told you. Go straight!" Spears was slammed against the roof, but recovered his footing by grabbing Jake's legs. "Clear us a path," he ordered the turret gunner. The 50 cal. came to life and started tearing a swathe through the shacks, shredding anything that wasn't smashed by the humvee. They were crashing down the slope now, demolishing homes and ramming aside whole squads of Collectors. The humvee dropped in bounces and slides, and there was another thud as Karsikan slid across the roof. "What's that Tin Man doing?!"

Spears glanced through the back window and saw Karsikan wrestling a pair of Collectors who had dropped from the roof of the Auto Shop. He readied his rifle and eyed his two passengers. "Sergeant Spears," They were thrown against the side of the cab. "51st Infantry," They demolished a bakery. "Dystopian State Police." He rolled down the side window and swung his rifle out. A haze of bullets ripped down the side of the humvee and sent one Collector flying off the back. Karsikan had time to roll and grip the vehicle's roof before it crashed across another street and launched off an even steeper slope.

MV5BMTk4ODM0MTEyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDAzMjMyNA_V1_SX640_SY405_.jpg

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, MARVIN!" Jake was being swung around in the turret, the 50 cal. blasting at odd angles and peppering the Collectors who roamed the streets. As the humvee bounced through another shack a plank of wood flew up across the hull, clonking Jake on the head and shattering across the chest of Karsikan. The gunner was knocked clean out and the Collector wrapped a chain around Karsikan's neck. They rolled and wrestled on the back of the humvee, before a punch from Karsikan sent the Collector flying into the nearest shack. The Grey Knight got his footing and caught sight of something overhead. "INCOMING!" boomed his vox-enchanced voice.

"Roger." Spears rolled across the cab and smashed his rifle through the other side window, leaning out and firing controlled bursts at the airship that was shadowing them. The gargantuan vessel was looming above them, and more Collectors were rappelling onto the vehicle. He shot the first two from their ropes. "Jake! Gunner! Wake up!" he called to the turret, but Jake was still unconscious. More Collectors landed like vultures on the humvee roof and set upon Karsikan whilst Spears fell back into the cab as a Collector came crawling in after him with whirring chainsaws attached to its arms.

"FUUUCK! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING BACK THERE?!" Marvin yelled as he tried desperately to control the vehicle's course down the hill into town. They shot across a third street and through a stone wall, plunging out onto the next slope.

"Get its arms! Spears wriggled underneath the Collector as Aeolus and Cressen grabbed each of its whirring chainsaw arms. The Sergeant freed his combat knife and began plunging it into the assailant's neck.

"Shi-... oh... Oh god, no.... shit... SHIT!" Marvin's eyes widened as he saw what lay ahead. By the edge of the next slope a Collector Airship was swooping low, its belly almost touching the ground as it deposited squads of raiders. The humvee was careering towards its side. He could see the great ballon of its upper section caught in the vehicle's headlights. "Jake! JAAAAAKE! JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!"

In the turret Jake suddenly came around and noticed what they were heading towards. "Oops, yeah, I got it!" He swung the 50 cal. and squeezed the trigger. The rounds went thundering out of the machine gun and into the balloon, igniting the gases inside just as the humvee cleared the next street and launched frim the slope. The airship exploded as the vehicle plunged through the air into the fireball....

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

...and out the other side.

The vehicle crashed down on its tyres and slid into the centre of Rift Town, ploughing through junk and dumpsters, trailing smoke and fire. Karsikan was thrown off the roof and went rolling into the side of a vegetable stall, whilst the vehicle skidded towards the middle of the square. Sakura and Orion, who were surfing the crowd on the other side, had to pull up abruptly. Then Raymond had to dodge aside, leaving the sulking Panda sitting in the middle of the vehicle's path.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Marvin slammed on the brakes and the smoking, half-wrecked humvee squealed to a halt with its bumper nudging the Panda softly on the nose.

The side doors fell open and Spears, Cressen and Aeolus toppled out with the dead Collector underneath them. And up in the turret, Jake lifted his head. His face was blackened by fire and his ginger hair had been singed. Behind them the Collector Airship was crashing onto the slopes as chain reactions sent explosions ripping through its balloon compartment.

"Fuck yeah!" Marvin shouted from the driver's seat, before the airbag deployed and gave him a fresh bout of claustrophobia. "MRFFPH!! RRRFFFPH!!"

Spears struggled to his feet and squinted back up the slope at the trail of destruction leading from the auto repair shop to the market. His other hand reached down and helped Aeolus up. "I didn't catch your name."



Spears, Jake and Marvin pick up Aeolus, Cressen and Karsikan. They then give them a ride in their humvee - straight down the hillside into the middle of Rift Town.
 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Isn't sunset always the most beautiful moment? When everything shines in a romantic vermillion and the sun seems to be singing its final chords. Sadly, though, the sunset is only so long, giving way to Night's deathly chill. Her hypnotizing moon that seems to drive the homicidal tendencies of many a'creature. Her icy embrace seemed to take those unable to find a warm place to stay, penetrating their heart and ears with a nocturne so melodic that it froze the unfortunate to the very core, making them fade into the black. No, Acqua would not even get this sunset, this sun's final notes before it took rest, Night's dun desires overtaking it in curtains black and blue. Her singing stopped, the exotic bird's warning to the others as her beautiful blue mane gave way to the pale pink hue it normally was. Night was here much too early; the Night's minions descended in Hell fire and smoke, the soberly dressed thief of Fate's strings beginning her fatal tune through their guise.

They descended upon the bar, fire that seemed to come from the depths of Hell overtaking the streets. The noise of their merciless slaughter and agonizing screaming clouding up Sun's once pleasant notes, like the smoke that rose from all over the city, explosions going off like the world was going to be shattered once more. Pushed to the ground by the sudden impact of the dust and air from the door of the bar, she managed to quickly get up to see Raziel run off, telling her and the others to run as well while he carried the stitched girl. She seemed to feel some pain, but it was slight, for the adrenaline rushing through her system was dulling the ache of whatever bruising she received from her less than graceful fall.

She quickly got up. She refused to give up. Not now, not after all the things that she had been through. The flame that shined with hope in her heart while singing now erupted forth, determined yet extremely scared at the same time. She was going to run like there was no tomorrow, run with all her heart, fly. Anything less and she knew she would not survive this horrific ordeal. The faint sound of footsteps behind her set the fear in her loose, causing her to bolt off as if hunted by a pack of wolves. She pursued the crow man, noting how he changed his mask. He seemed to be headed to the center of town, which was far from her mind as she leaped nimbly like a graceful doe, bounding through the long-forgotten forests which also occasionally erupted into flames, avoiding the Collectors by leaping and running along whatever platforms her now superhuman agility could allow her to reach.

Walls? Fences? No problem. She quickly surpassed her obstacles through various acrobatic means, even running along a wall at one point to avoid a close encounter with a Collector, his arms replaced by a much more than intimidating saw whose noise sent a pang of panic in her while he tore into his prey with it, the sound barely standing out among the rest of the hunt that was taking place. The Collector's were Night's favorite wolves, especially selected for the vulnerable prey that she ever so desired to consume without regard for compassion or mercy. Allez à la chasse; ne laissez pas personne vivant.

Somehow, by Day's seemingly absent mercy, Acqua managed to run herself over to the center of town. This came briefly after a blaring explosion that seemed to consume her vision overtook her, making her loose her balance mid-air as she flipped several times before regaining her balance and landing on the ground, the crowd over taken by the Collectors as well. She nervously leaped up again, noticing a vehicle seemingly out of control before it managed to break to a halt, barely saving the Panda in its path. Somewhat concerned that somebody was hurt, she kicked off with her heels again, flipping through the air before rolling in front of the group and getting up much slower than she had when she had fallen down before. The pain of the bruising was starting to be felt, an internal wince hidden by her calm blue eyes.

In her view was a claustrophobic man, two other quirky, seemingly older men, a girl with brown hair not nearly as messy as her own unruly locks, the braids she had made earlier coming loose. Finally, there was the deathly pale necromancer from earlier, his presence seeming to evoke Night's deathly ballad to Acqua. After quickly coming to the conclusion that a strange girl with long pink-ish blond hair, a satchel, and a bright pink skirt would probably weird out people like them, she waved a little, not wanting to interrupt Spears while he requested Aeolus' name.

Summary: Insert lovely analogy implying how Acqua's hope was cut short by the Collectors coming by using Day and Night and some predator/prey/forest fire imagery and Acqua charging off to the center of town to see the explosion and run toward the wrecked vehicle with Spears, Marvin, Jake, Aeolus, and Cressen in a panic wondering if anybody's hurt only to realize that she probably looks like some weirdo to them and waves.
 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[dash=#ff5f29]Joy of joys. Pinned between a hulking he-troll and his companion, a spindly looking noob, on any other day Zypher might find the prospect...interesting, however this was neither the time nor the place. Pistols in hand he was prepared to fire a warning shot, probably at the smaller one, however it seemed his job would be done for him. A group of collectors stormed the alleyway. From his count he counted roughly five collectors. That was well beyond anybody's capabilities to handle, that was pretty clear. Maybe they had a weak point, but even if he had any memories he wasn't sure if he'd ever seen them before. A couple of pistol shots and one of the collectors was clipped in the arm, and now was pretty much the only chance Zypher would have to escape. He charged, lowering his head and hoping the spikes of the crown would deter the Collectors from trying to attack him.

Luckily it seemed they were more focused on the two noobs and not Zypher as Clem charged at a couple of other Collectors and his friend charged at the others, quickly falling to a hail of bullets. At least they were focused elsewhere. Zypher slipped out into the heat of the burning city. Everywhere he turned the flames licked at his skin, the fires shining off of his crown. With nowhere left to turn he was shoehorned by fate towards the center of the city, ignoring the sounds of screams and gunfire around him he forged ahead, keeping his pistols handy should he run into any more collectors.[/dash]


Zypher slips by the collectors while they're distracted with the noobs and heads towards the center of town
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

The roof was destroyed-- ripped away to leave a gaping hole in the once chaotic place called the Runaway. Debri had fallen everywhere, people were killed., dust flew everywhere. It was at this moment Curiose was actually quite thankful for the table she hid under, and the shiny that distracted her. But there was no time now, no time at all to play games or preech stories. Rift Town was under attack, and there was no place to hide.

Curiose whimpered to her deity, who she held clutched tightly in her hands. She spoke to it in its tongue, but there was no answer. It was silent as the chaos outside ravaged on.

"Shroomy? Shroomy are you there? " Slightly, she shook the creature hoping that perhaps it was just dazed. Still no answer. "Speak to me Shroomy! You have to be there!"

She squealed so loud it attracted the attention of a nearby collector. It treaded confidently into the bar, carrying its gun of choice. The woman stifled herself, her tears and her anxiety as she watched whatever it was come ever so closer. It stopped, just a small ways away from the table where she was hiding under. It only took a few seconds before Curiose panicked and grabbed a chunk of debree close by to throw at the creature. While it regained its composure as to what just happened, Curiose nabbed her umbrella and deity and ran like hell out of the bar and into the open.

No, no, no, no, no, no! Shroomy is a savier and Shroomy will never ever leave me. But these things, these things are so numerous, I have to get out of here! As Curiose became more distracted by her worries, the collectors, and the fire that grew, she didn't think once to watch where she was going. Accidentally, she ran into a man with a crown on his head and fell backwards onto the ground.


Curiose finds out that her Shroom has temporarily gone silent in the midst of the chaos, leaving her to pretty much figure things out on her own. In the mean time, she flees away from a nearby collector and runs into Zypher accidentally.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Ambience: Dead by April Instrumental

[DASH=#F6A8B6]
The kind stranger with the strange way of speaking was introducing himself. He stopped mid-sentence and she heard it, the sound of a child wailing. She looked up, following the echo of the sound, but above them was no child; an enormous airship blotted out the sky. Creatures were falling from it. Men or women, Sakura couldn't tell. Black masks, hissing laughter, they fell to the ground and pillaged on sight. In moments, the crowded marketplace became the sight of a massacre. The Collectors destroyed stalls and slaughtered the people in the crowds. Her arms were shaking. Her feet felt unsteady. Sakura watched the maddening chaos unfold, her eyes wide. The screams bore into her memory, a woman's shrieks cut through the sounds. Fear ripped through her mind, stripping away her thoughts. She knew what she was witnessing, but couldn't comprehend it. The destruction was so massive. As far as her eyes could see, airships were dropping Collectors upon an unsuspecting Rift Town. Like parasites, these creatures wreaked havoc in a relentless advance. A lady was torn away from her child and sliced in two. A man flung into the air, crashing and shattering a marketplace stall. Dark smoke came tumbling through the air like rain. Screaming, crying, shouting. Blood, flesh, fire, smoke. Everywhere around her, Rift Town erupted into disaster. Sakura wanted to shut it all out. She wanted to --

Sibilant laughter of contempt drew around them. They had been spotted. Her senses froze in fear. Orion simply spun his keychain. Sakura watched in shock, a surge of magic surrounded him, creating a large surfboard. Sakura, both horrified by the Collector's purge and fascinated by Orion's magic was pulled along onto his board. Orion shouted something about a taco stand and it shook her out of her confusion. They were going to run? Through this mess? Her eyes scanned the area and realized that he was right. Although, there really was no where to run, the port was up in flames and crowds of corpses would not making for being trapped in. Sakura glanced over as another stranger approached them, coming through the wave of chaos. There was a gun in his hands. That's right! A weapon! Sakura almost slapped her own forehead. This was no time for her to tremble in fear. They were trying to escape, trying to get away so they could survive. Now she could see everyone's urgency. She pushed away her emotions, attempting to calm herself. What should should be done?

Orion let out a shout, throwing her onto his back and throwing that surfboard into the air. Sakura was momentarily struck by awe as they glided over the heads of the Collector, as if they were sailing through a sea of water. Orion was standing in a particular way, tilting the board and controlling the way it moved. Was it magic or was it skill? She had no idea. Sakura was holding onto him with her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck, but she released one hand to unclip her boomerang from her belt. When she sweeped it into the air, the folded position expanded. Earlier the stranger who had approached them was holding a gun, shooting down Collectors. That gave her reason to believe that she might able to use the steel spiked-edge of her boomerang to cut them away. Orion was practically rescuing her from danger without her asking, so she would be ready to fight a Collector if the need arose. Just in case. If one comes close, slicing it's head will be my revenge for the sake of these people.

Just in case. She held her boomerang ready as they surfed the crowd, the rush of air throwing her hair in all directions, flying about her head like a lion's mane. She suddenly felt a rush of conflicted feelings, gratitude, fear, grief, and sympathy. She leaned forward so that he might be able to hear her. "Thank you!" she shouted. She felt it was necessary, though it was not enough. She would make up for it later. Maybe she'd find him a real taco stand to make him happy. She didn't think Mister-Dude-Panda could make tacos at this rate. She was glad to be able to thank him, to have that feeling lifted away at least.

That being done, her mind returned to her. As they surfed, her eyes watched the horror unfold. Rooftops were blown off, people were being thrown around like toys. The sound of bullets cracking open skulls, the slicing of blades into flesh. Sakura couldn't shut the sounds away, so this time, she allowed herself to listen. She wouldn't be crippled by the reality that was around them. She'd seen the way Orion reacted to danger. Instantly, coming up with a plan to rescue himself and her. She was saved by a chance encounter, these people were suffering, being brutally murdered. Her hand gripped the boomerang handle tightly, knuckles white beside the batman symbol. She felt helpless.; there was nothing she could do, but seek to survive. If she stopped to help these people, she would end up dying with them. Living was such a conflicted choice, and yet, it was the only choice she was willing to make. She could not save these people, but thanks to Orion, she might make it out of part of this catastrophe alive.

And if she did, she would learn from his example, and save those who she could, too! "Like Orion, I'll become strong and help other people!" She exclaimed suddenly, tears in her eyes, reflecting her struggling emotions. She would be stronger and fight. When they reached the end of this crowd, she would cut through the Collectors with her boomerang and protect Orion, too. That was a promise.

Her heart ached for them, the victims of the Collectors. And for the child, whose was the first cry she heard, when the smoke began to fall from the sky.

[/DASH]


Sakura, piggyback on Orion's crowdsurfing, is overwhelmed with emotions over the carnage. She thanks him for saving her. Makes a promise with herself to be strong until this is over.

 
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Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Effort dried his face on the fur of his bear arm and focused on his running. His focus was promptly interrupted by an explosion which brought his attention to gunfire, crashing, and shouting happening in the next street over. Yeah all that stuff was happening all over the place but one of the Collector's vessels had just went kapooie. That was cool. Woops, focus on running, almost tripped.

Ahead of him was a group of Collectors that hadn't ye- oop yeah they saw him. Two of the freaks fired on him, the bullets didn't penetrate his jacket but it hurt and he knew he was going to have ugly bruises later. A bullet ricochet off his head, gashing him and causing blood to trickle into his eye. "Grr" he ducked his head down and shielded his face with his bear arm and barreled through the small group of Collectors, slashing a couple to ribbons before making it completely passed them. Bullets pelted his back, he gritted his teeth against the pain.

He made it into the center of town where he saw a smoking truck and a collection of...people he knew were special. There was a crack in the air and a sharp, biting pain like when he had been hit with the crossbow bolt. Again, he fell to the ground because he had been shot in the leg this time. It wasn't terribly deep, but all this shit was going to hurt a lot when the adrenaline wore off. Effort got up and ran a bit farther, he didn't know what to do, there were too many and they were surrounded. This was a terrible feeling.

Effort hears the commotion of the humvee romp. Continues running down to the center of town and encounters a small group of Collectors. Smashes through the group, kills a couple, but gets stabbed in the arm. Makes it to the center of town and gets shot in the leg and the Collectors are following him. Broods a bit.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[size=+1]Well, that experience ranks right up there amongst the most terrifying ordeals I've had so far.

I'm thrown out of the vehicle we've just come rampaging down the hill in, landing on top of the dead Collector the soldiers were battling inside; I manage to get a decent amount of the blood seeping from it's open neck on me as I roll off, coughing up my lungs from all the smoke and dust in the air. I'm on my knees, eyes watering, when Spears offers a hand to help me back to my feet.
"I didn't catch your name," the soldier asks as I accept the help, getting up off the ground with his help.
"Name's Aeolus," I manage to say in between coughing, "An' goddamn, you guys dr've l'ke fuck'n lunat'cs." I follow Spears' gaze up the hill, tracking the path of destruction the humvee cut through the slums of Rift Town to get us here, "St'll, can' argue w'th results. Got us here 'n one p'ece... vaguely."

Spears and his group have managed to get me right where I needed to get to without even realising it. I'll be sure to thank them for it later... and return the favour by saving all our asses from the fire the Collectors have prepared for us. I look back to the wreck of the car and then to the trio of soldiers I seem to have somehow found myself accompanying. "R'ght, please tell meh you guys've got some weld'n gear 'n that humvee of yours. 'Cos we're gon' need 't real soon." The tallest of the three, Jake, looked up from his attempts to get his friend Marvin untangled from the air-bag that had just deployed.
"We should have some in the back, assuming it survived the crash." He finally manages to pull the bag away from the panicked Marvin and hauls his friend out of the driver's seat before moving to the back of the wreckage. "What are you needing them for?"

Survivors are starting to gather in the centre of town. People like us, who've managed to survive the initial onslaught and make it this far; the lucky ones... technically. I'm pretty sure they don't feel so lucky right now, wounded, shellshocked and traumatised as they are. My eyes scan to see if I can find any familiar faces but I spot none, though they do fall upon a young woman approaching our crash-site with unusually pink hair waving at us. I shrug and give her a quick wave back as I move round to where Jake is searching the back of the car.

No sense in not being polite, after all.

"Y'see that there ol' th'ng?" I reply, motioning with my head to the relic in the centre of town as I begin to help him search the wreckage of the humvee.
"The old airship? What about it?"
"That ol' rel'c, my friend," I say with a grin, "'S our t'cket out of th's place."

Aeolus is helped to her feet by Spears and begins searching the wreckage of the humvee for welding equipment with Jake.
[/size]


[size=+1]Rift Town begins it's death-throes.

The buildings burn, the defences are overrun, the population either fleeing, dead... or collected. All across town the Collectors pursue the survivors relentlessly, slaughtering indiscriminately. What's left of the defenders of the town are now on the running, fighting a losing battle in the burning streets.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the Collectors' movements; if they are communicating it is being done without speech, if they are co-ordinating it is not being done obviously. The different groups pay no heed to each other as they move from street to street, house to house.

But they are communicating.

And they are co-ordinated.

Slowly, the survivors are being pushed towards the centre of town, the exits blocked off, the escape-routes overrun. Like cattle, they are being herded.

Like lambs to the slaughter.

The Collectors continue their rampage, slowly herding the survivors towards the centre of town...
[/size]
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Before Skye reached the group outside the bar she stopped in her tracks, the loud sound of motors cut through the air followed by explosions rocking the very ground tremours reaching even the Runaway, the sky is coloured by flames and smoke begins to spread into the city accompanied by gun fire. Then the roof of the bar is ripped of right in front of her, fire and smoke blinds and almost suffocates her, instinctively she dodges backwards and crouch down to avoid being hit by debris. Armoured creatures descened into the bar, killing everyone they could find, the air filled with their laughter chilling Skye to the bone. After the first chock Skye started running from the bar, she didn't want to engage any of those creatures in a battle, running was almost impossible with all the smoke that enveloped her.

Climbing over destroyed buildings to save time Skye ran around the fires, not wanting to risk call forth water in case these attackers would disturb her link, now speed was more important than power, one saw her and Skye rolled down onto the ground and through a whole in a destroyed building, coming up on the otherside she ran through the house and out the glass less window, the smoke still lay heavy over the city and the loud noises were giving her a head ache.

The attackers were quickly spreading through the city, everywhere dead bodies lay scattered, either killed by the debris or the armoured strangers, the death all around her filled her with sadness, she'd seen death before of course but this much violence and death made her sick, why would these creatures suddenly attack Rift Town, it made no sense none here were rich, unless they were here for slaughter though. Narrowly avoiding a group of them Skye quickly ran into another alley, breathing heavily she almost ran into one creature. Stumbling backwards she grasped for her gun, shooting it just before it came close, it stopped long enough for Skye to nimbly dodge around him and run like hell. She saw other survivors as she made her way around town, not until she came closer to the city center did Skye realise that all living humans were slowly closing in to this very place. A look behind her told Skye a few more of those horrible creatures came behind her and she did what they wanted, kept running towards the very middle of town.
Skye runs from the bar and makes her way to the center of town, shooting a collector to get away but not killing it.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

Lighting another store front on fire he shook his head, he was making little progress at this slow pace. He needed to hurry before someone caught on. Moving out to cross a street a small group of the collectors turn his way. The manner in which they turned and started for him made it blatant.

They knew....

Chucking the axe at them blindly he morphed once more. This time into something a little more agile and manueverable then the rest. Where his hulking Collector guise had stood, was now an empty space where the four foot halfling Cyanide just stood. He had taken to flight, hopeing to outrun them, or at least be able to out manuever them.

Looking back they were chasing him down the street. Halfway down, another two Collectors appeared at the far end of the street. These ones had guns...

Shit

Turning to the right he bolted into the closest open, halfway not demolished building. Luckily, it had stairs. Stairs which led who knows where but stairs nonetheless. As soon as he bounded the first few steps, what was left of the shop front, turned into swiss cheese. Hardly looking back at the chasing death, he boundd up the stairs and opened the door at the top into...

The Sky? Looking around all he saw was clouds, and the roof. Once he regained his bearings he realized something. He was pretty much looking right over the center of town with its busted relic and.... a gathering of people. He didn't have time to consider his options before the door behind him burst back open. Without hesitation he bolted for the edge, and jumped.

Checking his trajectory he realized something... He was headed right for the panda.

"LOOOOOK OOOUT BELOOOOWWW!!!!"

Cyanide, realizing his disguise is no longer working, bolts off to try and out manuever the Collectors. FInding himself on the roof, with no other options he jumps aimed for the gathering in the center of town.
 
Re: Iwaku SHATTERED

[DASH=white]Raymond painfully got up to his knees and looked back at the smoking remains of the humvee that had nearly bowled over him. On the plus side, it had gotten rid of the group of Collectors that had been near him. On the downside, he had lost sight of the girl and a man that was with her. Raymond suspected that they had moved further toward the center of the town. Looking out and upwards he could see the entire town around them was ablaze, the thick smoke was starting to drift inward and envelop the center.

A sharp yelp brought his focus back to the scene in front of him. Something humanish, a shapshifted person was having some difficulty running toward Raymond and the wrecked humvee. A little voice in the back of his mind whispered.

What's the point eh? We're all screwed anyway. No escape, why help him? He's as good as dead anyway.

Raymond shook his head.

"Feckin sense of duty" he muttered. His pistol was lying in the dirt and debris to his side. Raymond quickly snatched it up and brought himself into a kneeling position, taking careful aim at the Collectors past the man. The first shot blew out the kneecap of the closest Collector before he corrected and drilled the second shot into its leering gasmask. His next target was a machine gun wielding Collector who was focused upon the person running toward him and the humvee. Two shots later it was falling backwards to the ground. More Collectors appeared however and after three more shots the slide of the pistol locked back, empty. Raymond changed to a fresh magazine, placing the empty magazine in his coat pocket.

By now the person had reached him, Raymond was surprised at how bloody the man was until he realized not all of the blood was his. Though he had appeared to take a bullet in the leg and shoulder and was now starting to limp. Apparently the man had done some fighting to get here.

Raymond took a glance back; a man in combat fatigues and a younger girl were at the back of the humvee now, he had been so focused on his shots he had not even heard them come around the back. With some difficulty they started pulling components to a welder out. He watched for a moment, then stood up and holstered the pistol before trying to assist them.

"So… I thank you kindly for not killing me with the car, but what's all this for?"
[/DASH]
Raymond gets up from nearly being killed by car fu. He picks off a couple Collectors harassing Effort. Now questions the welding equipment that Aeolus and Jake are pulling out of the wreck.
 
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